SG prioritizes influenza vaccinations

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. David A. Jablonski
  • Air Force Print News
WASHINGTON --  The Air Force is taking prudent steps to protect the health and safety of all its beneficiaries in light of the early onset of influenza.

The nationwide increase of influenza cases and reports of severe complications, including deaths, has led to a higher demand for influenza vaccination than in previous years, said medical officials.

But the Air Force has enough vaccine to cover all high-risk beneficiaries and servicemembers, including Air National Guard and Reserve airmen.

This year, manufacturers produced about 83 million doses of injectable influenza vaccine.

“(The Defense Department) purchased approximately 3 million doses, more than we have ever used in past years,” said Maj. (Dr.) Mylene Huynh, preventive medicine physician at the Air Force surgeon general’s office.

Huynh said Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials estimated that there are 73 million persons in the U.S. who are considered high-risk for influenza-related complications. To ensure that high-risk individuals are protected, CDC officials have recommended that medical communities target vaccination of these individuals.

In accordance with CDC recommendations, the Air Force influenza-vaccination program focuses on high-risk individuals, and to ensure mission readiness, it also targets servicemembers.

“The majority of our military force has been vaccinated, and we have vaccinated a higher percentage of our high-risk beneficiaries than ever before,” said Maj. Gen. (Dr.) Joseph E. Kelley, Air Force assistant surgeon general for health-care operations. “Because of the limited vaccine supply within the Air Force and Defense Department, medical-treatment facility commanders will implement influenza-vaccination guidance which provides vaccination to high-priority groups from now through Dec. 31.”

The high-priority groups include:

-- Servicemembers, including active-duty, Guard, Reserve, trainees and recruits.

-- Individuals at high risk for complications from influenza, including healthy children 6 to 23 months old, adults 65 and older, pregnant women past 14 weeks gestation, and anyone older than 2 with underlying chronic medical conditions.

-- Individuals at greatest risk for transmission of influenza to those at high risk. This includes health-care workers performing direct patient care and household contacts of high-risk persons.

-- In the event of a local outbreak, other people may be vaccinated according to recommendations from state or local public-health authorities.

Military-treatment facility officials will regularly review the status of vaccination coverage, vaccine supply and influenza-disease activity. The vaccine may be redistributed among Air Force treatment facilities as necessary.

Medical officials recommend people take action to mitigate the risk of influenza and other respiratory illnesses. Most important are frequent hand washing, covering the mouth when coughing and avoiding close contacts with others ill with influenza-like symptoms. These measures reduce the spread of infection.

“In addition, the basic rules of good-health habits such as getting enough sleep, eating a balanced diet and exercising regularly,” Huynh said. “These measures promote good health, enhance immunities and may prevent respiratory infections, including influenza.”

Some people, Huynh said, have asked about the use of the nasal spray flu vaccine called “FluMist.”

“FluMist is an nasal-spray vaccine containing a live attenuated virus,” she said. “It’s FDA-approved only for those between the ages of 5 and 49 years and who are healthy, not for those with chronic diseases. The Air Force has not purchased FluMist since it cannot be used for those who are high risk, and we feel confident that we have adequate amount of injectable vaccine to cover the high-risk beneficiaries and military members.”